The rate of malnutrition among North Korean children still remains at a serious level, although it has improved from the level seen in the late 1990s, a local health expert said Friday.

The rate of North Korean infants and toddlers under age 5 with chronic malnutrition disorder came to 27.9 percent as of late last year, falling sharply from 62.3 percent recorded in 1998, according to reports last year by the World Health Organization and the World Food Programme, said Lee Soo-kyung, a food and nutrition professor at Inha University.

The rate of North Korean children with acute nutrition disorder also decreased to 4 percent last year from 15.6 percent in 1998 thanks mainly to assistance programs by aid organizations, the professor said.

Lee said the current figures indicate the nutrition conditions for North Korean children remain a serious problem.

"Recent nutrition assistance programs (by international organizations) helped improve children's nutrition conditions, but they are feared to worsen again in the future as (theorganizations) are scaling back their programs due to budget issues," Lee said, adding that North Korea needs more assistance.

Another researcher said the North is expected to suffer another food shortage this year despite the country's improving grain production.

The communist country is expected to see its grain production increase by 10 percent on-year to a total of 4.92 million tons this year, said Kim Young-hoon, a researcher at the Korea Rural Economic Institute, adding that the country may need a total of 5.42 million tons of grain to feed its people this year.(Yonhap News)